News of the brazen armed robbery of a Brooklyn Bishop delivering a sermon during a livestream has garnered commentary from people all over social media. Some have voiced shock, while others have questioned why the clergyman was wearing expensive jewelry to begin with. Known for weighing in on various matters of public interest, from politics to tabloid fodder, rapper 50 Cent shared his own reaction on Twitter. The entrepreneur and philanthropist reposted the viral clip with a caption conveying his matter-of-fact attitude about the incident.
“Meanwhile back in New York, they robbing the church while it’s in service,” the TV executive wrote. “WTF.”
The robbery occurred on Sunday (July 24) at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn at around 9:30 a.m. Three armed men stormed into the church service wearing masks and hoodies. The suspects removed jewelry, estimated to be worth between $400,000 and $1 million, from Bishop Lamor Whitehead, his wife, and other churchgoers. Police have released surveillance video and images of the men wanted in connection to the robbery.
Whitehead, who has since publicly commented on the incident on social media, has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. According to New York Daily News, Bishop Lamor Whitehead returned to his church in a Rolls-Royce convertible and delivered a new sermon while dressed in a Balenciaga and Gucci suit and loafers.
“I’m gonna wear my Gucci,” Whitehead told his concerned parishioners. “Because God says, ‘You are my chosen vessel.’ He didn’t tell me I couldn’t wear what I want to wear.”
“‘Why’s he gotta wear Gucci?’” he said while imitating his critics. “Because I want to. It is my civil right to wear what I want to wear … We are a church of wealth. We’re not a church of poverty.”
No suspects have been arrested, and the investigation remains ongoing.